


London Calling - Sidebar VIII

by elrond50



Series: The Hale Clan [14]
Category: Matthew Swift Series - Kate Griffin, Teen Wolf (TV), The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, Heist, M/M, Urban Fantasy, Urban Sorcery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 09:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7042843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are many loose ends and London has a few. The Clan takes a quick trip to wrap up a few things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	London Calling - Sidebar VIII

The flight landed at Heathrow Jackson shook Danny awake while watching Boyd get Erica moving. Jackson hadn’t seen his parents in almost two years and needed their signature on some documents. Derek insisted that Jackson do it in person to get some closure.

Getting through Customs took some time, but then they were off to their hotel. Jackson knew the family finances inside out now and convinced Peter to let them go first class the whole way. That’s how they landed rooms at the Savoy Hotel in Westminster for the week.

“How much of a fit did Peter throw when you gave him the bills?” asked Boyd since he was Jackson’s roommate at Cal and heard plenty about Jackson’s training.

“He didn’t argue much since the costs were nothing compared to the projected earnings this year. He’s planning a trip later this year anyway.”

Erica looked around the lobby and whispered to Danny, “Do you think they are here yet?”

Seeing Jackson’s parents was one reason for the trip, but the other was less emotional and potentially more dangerous. Danny shrugged. “Stiles and Cameron left a few hours ago and should be through the Ways already.”

The fallout from the return of Prometheus was still happening. One of the issues still facing the Clan was all the artifacts they recovered from old Hale holdings. The mystery of several items with unknown markings on them still perplexed them. It had taken time, but Danny’s search program found a potential match from a 19th century photograph. The image was from some expedition to Egypt several items from a dig from the temple of Seti I. However, they weren’t listed on any catalog since.

So much was found in the relics and archives the Hales held. Nothing seemed to link the items, but there were many. It was a mystery that really captured the imagination of the clan. So many types of magic was represented in the recovered treasure.

Boyd walked over with the card key. “Let’s go up.” He showed them his phone with a simple word on it. It was the code that they others were already in London.

Checked in they made their way to the suite. Jackson smirked as he opened the door. He smiled at Stiles and Cameron. “Pleasant trip?”

“Wasn’t too bad,” Cameron answered as he finished his bottle of water. “The Nevernever is weird though.”

Stiles was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. Danny moved to get the door and was shocked when a well-dressed middle-aged women walked through the door without so much as a hello.

“Excuse me?” Danny said demandingly.

“Yes, dear. Thank you,” she said over her shoulder as she walked into the common room. She spotted Stiles and marched right up to him. “You are here illegally. As are you,” she pointed to Cameron.

“What? You think we don’t know when a mage enters the City without leave. Wizards are supposed to go through Edinburgh and then from there into a checkpoint. All part of Treaty of Edinburgh 1560.” She stopped and sighed at their blank looks. “Patience save me from ignorant wizards.”

“Excuse me,” Erica interjected. “But who are you?”

The woman drew up to her full height, lifted her head, and stated clearly, “I am the Countess Margot Fenring, Her Majesty’s Lady-in-Waiting.” She smiled at the blank look on their faces. “Did you honestly think there are no magical defenses for the government and Sovereign?”

“I can’t fly,” Stiles said responding to her unasked question.

“Of course not, dear, there would be another story about a plane crash if you did. And no one told you about the protocols.” She eyed Stiles and then Cameron. She walked over and slowly circled the elder wolf. She smiled, “But they do make you Hales very pretty don’t they?”

Cameron rolled his eyes, but made no moves. “How do you…”

Lady Fenring interrupted him before he could finish. “Know who you are? As a discrete part of the government we know who is legally entering the country. But as part of the underground magical community, really Lord Cameron, don’t be obtuse.” She pointed to all of them. “You are part of an important House and an ancient one at that. Now, best behavior or we will kick you out. Next time contact the Council about coming to any place outside of North America. There are rules.”

She didn’t wait for a response and left. Stiles frowned at the closed door. He pulled out a small crystal and whispered to it. It started glowing brightly. “That will stop any eavesdropping. We need to move up the time table. We go to the museum tomorrow.”

“I can’t be there, Stiles,” reminded Danny. Danny’s past always hung over him like the Sword of Damocles.

Stiles nodded. “I know, we’ll do the walkthrough and then go for it tomorrow night. You enjoy dinner with Jackson’s parents.”

Cameron pulled out the schematics for the British Museum and the images Danny found. “Our best bet is the second sub-basement. Everything they don’t want is down there.” He also has a listing of all the catalogs.

“I better not get arrested,” warned Erica. She fingered a clear vial. “I know this works, but can you or Lydia figure out how to make it taste less like swamp water.”

“That’s insulting to swamp water,” retorted Boyd. They all had the misfortune of tasting swamp water.

* * *

 

Danny adjusted his tie and then checked Jackson’s. He was nervous on behalf of his friend and nervous because the walkthrough from the others had gone too well. They found the basement access points and finalized how to get inside after hours. He’d already provided a schematic of the building, but plans on paper always looked different live. The alarm and other security features were also sorted out.

“Come on we’ll be late and I know mom and dad are waiting at the restaurant.” Jackson pulled on his suit jacket and took a deep breath. “This should be fun.”

“You’ll be fine and they like me. In fact, I think they liked me more than you,” joked Danny.

Cameron and Boyd nodded as Jackson and Danny walked past them in the lobby. They waited until the guys were in a cab and off to dinner. They lingered waiting for Stiles and Erica to come down. “That place is huge. We know where we are looking and what for or what it looks like?” Boyd asked as he fiddled with his phone.

“The worst answer I can give is, we’ll know it when we see it,” replied Stiles. They walked out of the Savoy and started towards the museum. It wasn’t far, but they needed to take an indirect path. The heart of London was easy to manage by walking. “They have a unique signature that we can pick up on if we are close enough.”

Cameron nodded. “Kira figured that out first, but it will take time. Too bad she’s in Japan for two weeks or she could have been here to help.”

“I’d like to remind everyone that I said this was a stupid plan. The last thing available with a break-in is time. Don’t any of you watch TV?” groused Erica.

The foursome left the Strand and made their way to the British Museum. Boyd and Erica went straight there while Cameron and Stiles walked over two blocks. The two wolves made their way behind the museum and were between it and the Senate House Library. Though it was late there were students around.

The lighting was enough to make any cover useless. Boyd and Erica stopped at the top of a staircase that led down to the doors. It wasn’t anything for them to start making out and blending in with other students their age.

Stiles and Cameron reached their assigned position and texted Boyd. They were on the opposite side of the park near the museum and library building. Cameron nodded when he got the text back. “They’re ready.”

During the walk through the museum earlier, both Cameron and Stiles felt feint traces of magic. The plan was altered accordingly since magic would not show up on any plans or computer hacks. Stiles turned and faced the direction of the museum. He fired a spell that had the effect of an EMP and would knock out power for a few blocks. It would take out the alarms for a very short time.

Erica moved down the stairs the moment the lights went down. She pulled out her tool kit. Much to the sheriff’s chagrin, Jordan showed Erica how to pick all kinds of locks. She was a natural. In no time flat, she had the lock picked and the door opened. A quick motion had Boyd joining her.

He texted Cameron. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Dinner was stilted to say the least. The restaurant was posh which was chosen to probably prevent any screaming matches. Jackson’s father, Richard, looked over the documents before setting them aside. Danny wanted to drink the whole bottle of wine things were so thick.

“Do you enjoy London?” he managed to ask Sheri, Jackson’s mother.

“It’s lucrative,” Richard answered.

It took everything to keep Jackson from rolling his eyes. “Figures.”

“None of this is what you think, dear,” intoned his mother. She leaned forward and looked at her son. “We were frightened for you when you died in front of us. We didn’t know what to think, but then…old memories started coming back from before…”

Danny leaned forward, the remark pinged something in his head. “Before what?”

“The fire,” Richard said as he threw back his drink. “Something happened a week before the fire and we forgot. The fear returned with that incident on the lacrosse field. We both felt it, but could not place it. Everything became unsettled for a month.”

Jackson stared at his parents and heard the naked raw truth in those words. He could smell fear on them even now. Much of his anger vanished. “What happened next?”

“The memories came back,” Sheri said flatly.

“Wait, what fire?” Danny asked.

“The Hale fire, dear,” answered Sheri. “The memories came back and we remembered, though how could we forget. A week before the fire we had a visitor.” She stopped and shuddered. She picked up her drink and motioned for the waiter to get her another.

“We found out you were a Hale by birth. This visitor wanted you. We never got a good look at him, but the feeling was evil. He wanted you and we had three days to get you ready. He wanted you to go willingly.”

“There were howls in the air at that point and he left quickly. And the fear did too.” Richard picked up his pen and started rolling it through his fingers. “If you’ve read Tolkien the closest I could describe it would be a Nazgul.”

Sheri nodded as she took her drink from the waiter. “Two days later, William Hale showed up.” She tapped her finger on the table like a nervous tick. “You have no idea who the Hales were. We met with Derek before we left…”

“What?” demanded Jackson.

“He made it clear that he was going to watch over you. That was it,” Richard said with finality.

Sheri steered the conversation back to the past. “Anyway, William came by and wanted to know what that man wanted. They knew he’d visited a few people and we were one of them. William said that Talia found the stranger in the woods near Hale House. They chased him off but found a piece of paper with a picture of Jackson on it. They wanted to call Sheriff Raines, but asked us first.”

“What about the Hales?” asked Danny. Something was running around in his head and it centered on them as usual.

“Talia and William were formidable. No one in town crossed them, but respected them. Then they all died and it was like they vanished from memory. Those memories started to return and with it the fear that you’d be harmed.”

“So you left?” Jackson growled.

“You were hanging around Derek Hale, we figured he told you that you were his cousin,” Sheri answered.

“He didn’t know then,” Danny answered.

Richard and Sheri sat back and groaned. “Let’s go to our house to finish this up.”

* * *

 

Stiles and Cameron entered the museum by the door that Erica left slightly askew. With a wave of his hand, Stiles made an illusion that the door was exactly the way it should be. He layered on another spell that made people avoid the area so not to look too closely. Boyd motioned them over to the door that led down another level. The cleaning crew was on duty so none of the motion detectors were armed.

Making their way down, the three werewolves kept their senses attuned for any surprises. Stiles raised his battle rod and used it to create a mage-light. “This is the old Egyptian storage area.”

Erica rolled her eyes. “Stiles, this place is huge!” The area was the size of an old airplane hangar. She walked over to a vertical storage chest. Pulling out the trays carefully she examined each one against the images on her phone. She stopped when she found something different. “Um, what about this?”

Cameron made his way over and frowned. He examined the item before picking it up. The tablet was heavy, not clay like it should’ve been. It wasn’t Egyptian and it was labeled as found in Ur. “Enochian. Bring it.” He went back to where he was looking.

The team found two more objects with the weird symbols when Boyd found something else. He motioned to half a scroll written completely in that language. There was a journal next to it in Latin. “Someone already knew this existed.”

Stiles flipped through the book and frowned. He was about to say something when he noticed movement in the shadows. “Do you see that?”

Erica moved closer and lifted her head to try to hear better. A quick shake of her head indicated there was nothing there. Boyd and Cameron moved to different parts of the vast room and also indicated that nothing was there.

Motion in the darkness caught his eye again; Stiles lifted his rod and made the light brighter. The shadows receded in most places, but not all. He pointed at one. “That is a problem!”

Out of several corners, shadow wraiths came forth and started circling the pack. Cameron pulled out his knife. “I told you that I would need my sword!”

“Yell at Stiles later,” Boyd hissed. He pulled out his knife as well.

Several wraiths moved to attack. Stiles used his light to keep them at bay. Cameron channeled some of his energy through his knife and attacked. Erica and Boyd slashed at them. More wraiths emerged from the shadows. High pitched shrieks made the wolves cringe. Stiles used the light to form a protective circle, but didn’t attack for fear of damaging the museum. The wolves knives did some damage, but the wraiths kept circling.  

Doors at the far end of the room flew open as three men in dark suits walked in. The man in the middle raised a hand and two wraiths swirling around the pack screamed. They launched towards the new group. “A knife to a magic fight, how stupid.”

Several more wraiths emerged from the shadows and attacked. The three men moved and Stiles watched them wield magic in ways he’d never seen. He lifted his bracelet and pulled the pack close as he established the strongest shield he could. The men looked like they knew what they were doing and his group was armed with knives.

“First smart thing you’ve done yet,” said the leader. Twice more his hands danced and more wraiths screamed as they were destroyed. The shrieks grew louder and his men were having a difficult time staying focused. “Enough of this!”

He walked into the middle of the room and started humming. Slowly the wraiths came closer and closer. Small sparks of blue tinged electricity started arcing off of him. The more he hummed the closer the wraiths came. It built to a crescendo when he slammed his hands together; a wave of blue electricity surged out of him obliterating the wraiths.

Looking around he frowned as he dusted off his suit coat. He made his way over to the pack. “Gather your things, you’re coming with me.”

Erica was about to say something when one of the other men in a suit came walked up. “My lord, the area is secured. The others are searching the perimeter right now. We have a call out to everyone to stay alert.”

“Excellent, now, if you will come with me,” he motioned for the pack to follow.

“Who the hell are you?” Erica couldn’t resist.

“The Magical Mayor of London also known as the Midnight Mayor.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t far from the restaurant to the Whittemore house. The boys walked in and sat down in the Sitting Room while Jackson’s parents got settled.

Sheri came in and gave Danny and Jackson coffee. “Jackson, I think we need to state the obvious. We felt it best if you stayed in Beacon Hills because we thought you knew you were a Hale.”

“Derek was clear that he’d take care of you after I decided to transfer.” Richard signed the documents that Jackson brought with them. “It is regrettable that everything felt…wrong.”

Danny knew Jackson was about to blow a gasket. “What about the financial situation? He was cut off.”

Sheri and Richard traded a look. He nodded and Sheri spoke, “We suffered a few setbacks financially at that time. We liquidated half of our assets to cover losses and were sending what we could. London proved difficult to adjust socially.”

“What else do you know about the Hales?” Jackson asked. He didn’t want to deal with the personal details anymore.

“It was a shock to find out that you were related to them. William wasn’t demanding; he simply wanted to know who the stranger was. Apparently he’d been spotted a few other places.” Richard sipped his drink. “Ask Stilinski to look in some old files from a week before the fire. Rumor was that man was reported near the elementary school. We thought he was scouting out Jackson to steal him.”

“We found out he was also seen near the high school.” Sheri lowered her voice. “He was out for the Hales.”

“Son, there was always something strange about Beacon Hills. Most of us ignored it because it was a great town. It’s growing fast now, but the strange has gotten stranger. Be very careful.”

Jackson was about to say something. Danny placed a hand on his arm and showed him a text message. “That doesn’t look good.”

Standing up and looking out the window, Danny saw the black car and two men in dark suits waiting next to it. “What the hell did they get into?”

* * *

  
Stiles and the gang walked out of the door they broke into. They were flanked by the Mayor’s guys. “Where are you taking us?”

“Lord Swift, confirmed that the grounds are secure; nothing got out and the cleaning staff knows nothing.”

The mayor nodded and pointed to the cars. “We’re going to Somerset House. I’ll not exam these things in my city proper.”

It was a short trip from the museum to Somerset House. Erica and Boyd were in one car while Cameron and Stiles were in another. The driver ignored Stiles’ attempts at conversation. Cameron placed a hand on Stiles’ arm and kept him quiet for the rest of the journey. The cars swung down the Victoria Embankment and under Somerset House. The gates opened and all six cars entered the underground parking area.

More people in dark suits came out from the building and started opening car doors. Stiles got out with the rest of the pack and followed the suits into the building.

“Are we under arrest?” Erica asked. She waved off an annoyed look from Stiles. “I want to know who these guys are because they aren’t dressed like the police and no mayor does what that guy did back there.”

“True,” conceded Boyd.

They were led into an ornate conference room; the center was a long wooden table with three reading lamps spaced evenly on it. The walls were lined with bookshelves; those full of items and books. A fireplace dominated the opposite end of the room.

“Nice for a cage,” noted Cameron.

“This is not a cage, Lord Cameron,” said the Midnight Mayor as he walked in. Three more people in suits came in carrying the items that the pack found.

A woman dressed in dark pantsuit walked in the room and moved up to the mayor. “Windsor is secure. The Countess reports no problems.”

The mayor nodded. “Good, they may secure from level one. Now, what is it you’ve found locked away in the bowels of that stuffy museum?”

Boyd’s eyes narrowed, “You knew?”

“Please, a half trained wizard shows up and does a walkthrough of the museum. The Countess swore you’d wait at least one day, but I win that bet.” He motioned at his people and they started placing the items on the long table.

“I’ve never seen that type of magic you were using back there,” Stiles said as he walked over to the mayor.

“And as a member of the White Council, you wouldn’t.” The mayor turned to face Stiles. “I practice urban sorcery. Magic based on the very pulse of a city; London, Paris, so many cities are teeming with magic that can be put to use.

“You must realize that there are different schools of magic. The Council has tried to make itself the arbiter of what is real magic and what isn’t. It tries to be judge, jury, and executioner in all things magical. The wardens aren’t loved nor are they allowed everywhere. The type of magic I practice has been around since cities developed. Major cities develop defenses, develop symbols of unity, and develop mantels for the sorcerer-guardians.

“I am Matthew Swift, the Guardian-Sorcerer of London, based out of the ancient city of London, and am the primary defender of the Sovereign.” He offered his hand to Stiles. “There is so much you don’t know, but let us see what you’ve found.”

Cameron walked over frowning. “You knew about this stuff?”

One of the men in a dark suit scoffed. The mayor chuckled. “The curators guard their hoard like dragons. I cannot enter without leave or need. You will find there are numerous entanglements in the magical world and for you I imagine they are going to get worse.”

Cameron started to say something but Swift shook his head.

 Erica started laughing. “You wanted us to break in. What did you get out of it?”

The men finished laying out the items. One of them handed Swift the journal full of Latin. Swift looked it over for a moment and then looked at the scroll that was torn in half. He flipped through the pages and sighed. “See what you find,” he said to the man who handed the journal to him.

Stiles leaned over and examined the tablet that Erica stumbled upon. “There is more here than we found.”

“You do realize just how much the world has changed in two years?” Swift asked as he looked up from another tablet. “Gods walked on this plane a few short weeks ago. Magic works in ways now that it couldn’t before.” He moved closer to Stiles. “You need to make the jump, you need to start to see how magic can work instead of how it was taught to you. Urban magic is a source when you are at school, but not at your home. There are other disciplines available. The world is opening up and you, and your clan, must be at the forefront.”

He nodded at Cameron. “Given your status it is imperative that you start straddling both worlds. You have favor in the Summer Court and feared by a few others by the actions and results you’ve achieved. The Hales are an ancient House and you’ve no idea just how much that factors into what people think. Anyone under a thousand years old is looked on as a newbie.”

The doors opened, Danny and Jackson walked in both bearing looks of confusion on their faces. “Um, why are we here?”

Two more people in dark suits came out with trays of refreshments. Swift let a small smile play on his face. “We are civilized here. Now we need to see what we have found.”

Cameron picked up one of the scrolls that had the weird markings on it and frowned. “This is placed randomly. This is Phoenician, but the symbols just show up.”

Another of Swifts men arrived. “Sir, we’ve located the other half of the scroll.” Swift motioned for him to continue. “It’s in Rome, sir.”

Swift cursed under his breath for a few seconds. “I can only be in London. Guardian Sorcerers can only be in their home city. My guess is that the other half is in the Vatican Archives and that is a whole new nightmare.”

He fingered the Enochian tablet and frowned. “This is angel lore and I’m no expert. But these symbols and that Latin speak of very ancient things. I know a few people among the Jesuits. None of you can go, already your presence has been noted in London by many Powers.”

Danny started looking over the items and took scans against what his database held. He shook his head. Jackson placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at Swift. “Is there a way to look into the past?”

One of the aides came forward with a book and handed it to Swift. “This is a spell book that can help with that type of thing, but Time magic is very strange. Be careful. Now, you four may stay in London, but you two are leaving in the morning. All these will go with you on loan. The curators can throw a fit all they want.”

* * *

 

Stiles grumbled as Erica, Boyd, Jackson, and Danny left for an outing. Swift’s people offered to play tour guide for some of London’s lesser known areas and several behind the scenes places. Two of his people were waiting to escort him and Cameron to Swift and with that, back home.

“We come all this way and only get to stay for three days, if that!” Stiles grumbled.

Cameron shrugged. “We got what we came for, only we need more answers now. You made a friend, Swift likes you.”

They walked out of the room and went with the escort down the elevator and out to a waiting car. “So where are we going?”

One of the men smiled as he was closing the door. “Inner Temple Library, Lord Swift must like you because no one gets to go to his private office.”

It was a short jaunt from the Savoy to the Temple area of London. Two more suits waited outside the building and escorted them up and in. They went to a private room on the third floor. A full tea service was waiting for them.

“Sorry to kick you out, but protocol and all that nonsense,” said Swift. “We can at least have tea before I send you on your way.”

After they finished Swift them to a large doorway. “I will activate this and target it to the closest place I can reach. Gates are useful, but require power, a solid terminus, and a place where lots of travelers are. London has enough power to reach a number of places, but the United States is too young to have many terminuses. Best I can do is Dallas and that airport there.”

Magic flowed while Swift hummed in a flash the door changed and they were looking out at a tarmac. “Dallas. Off you go!”

Stiles and Cameron walked through the gate and found themselves looking at the baggage claim area of Dallas Fort Worth Airport. “Well that saved us several hours of walking.”

* * *

 

Getting back to Beacon Hills was easy once they were in Dallas. Now they had everything they’d gained from London on a table in the lab. Derek looked everything over and pointed to the Enochian tablet. “There are riddles to be solved with the angels, including what is up with Jordan, but the other half of the scroll is the priority.” He picked up another scroll and frowned. “When Danny gets back see if we can’t figure out any patterns for all of this.” His own adventure in New Orleans was fresh in his mind. “Time is against us I think.”

Peter smiled as flipped through the journal in Latin. “It’s been so long since I was in Rome. Give me some time to arrange it and we’ll be off. I’ll look for some Vatican contacts other than what Swift is offering.”

Derek smiled at Peter. “Make sure Scott has a passport. I think a Roman holiday will do him lots of good. He’s an adult now and can take up some of the adventure.”


End file.
